Applicator



June 9, 1953 F. E. BRWN 2,641,254

APPLICATOR Filed Oct. 18, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jfyj' 27 vz5# //0 FPi/we 6. 5P@ WN y /f/J 57702/56575 Patented June 9, 1953 OFFICE APPLICATOR Frank E. Brown, Burbank, Calif., assigner to Frederick M. Turnbull, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application October 18, 1948, Serial No. 55,135

8 Claims.

My invention relates to devices, hereinafter termed applicators, for introducing liquid or powdered medicaments of varius types into the oral and respiratory regions of the body, a general object of the invention being to provide applicators for distributing said medicaments with maximum eiciency.

Reference is hereby made to my co-pending applications Serial No. 41,857, led July 3l, 1948, and Serial No. 84,243, filed March 29, 1949, now Patent No. 2,590,832.

A considerable number of medicaments have been developed for application to the oral and respiratory regions of the body, such medicaments being employedin the treatment of infection in such regions, in the treatment of allergies, in the treatment of bronchical asthma, as correctives for halitosis, etc. Medicaments for the purposes mentioned are available in the form of powders and liquids, examples of such powdered medicaments being the well known penicillin and sulfa compounds, vasoconstrictors, antihistamines for hay fever and other allergies, antispasmodics for bronchial asthma, etc. Ap-

propriate liquid medicaments may take the form of antiseptics, correctives for halitosis, etc.

It is an object of the invention to provide an applicator having a movable capsule therein which contains the powdered medicament to be applied to the oral or respiratory regions of a patient, the capsule being movable under the influence of anair stream produced by inhalation and being adapted to strike a stop within the device with sufficient force to dislodge a quantity of the medicament therefrom into the air stream, whereby the air stream carries the medicament to the area to which the medicament is to be applied. A related object is to provide an applicator wherein the movable capsule is returned to its initial position by the action of gravity. An important object of the invention is to provide an applicator of the foregoing character having air inlet and outlet passages which are so located that both may be sealed by means of a single closure, thereby eliminating any necessity for separate closures for the inlet and outlet passages.

Another object is to provide an applicator wherein the capsule carrying the medicament is readily removable so that it may be recharged with fresh medicament, or may be replaced with anew capsule containing fresh medicament.

It is another object of the invention to provide a capsule for use with powdered medicaments which includes a wall having one or more (Cl. 12S-206) 2 discharge openings through which the medicament is discharged when the capsule strikes the stop within the device in the manner hereinbefore indicated.

Another object is to provide a capsule of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the discharge opening or discharge openings are located in only one wall of the capsule so as to substantially prevent circulation of air through the capsule, whereby to prevent eXhalation of the breath into the capsule in the event that the user exhales through the applicator inadvertently. This construction prevents contamination of the powdered medicament in the capsule and also prevents admission of moisture carried by the breath into the capsule, which is an important feature since many powdered medicaments are quite anhydrous and deliquescent and thus take up moisture readily.

A further object is to provide means for sealing the discharge openings in the capsule to prevent loss of medicament therefrom until such time as the capsule is to be inserted into the applicator for use, and to prevent any loss of effectiveness of and contamination of the medicament. An important object is to provide a capsule having manually graspable means for removing the sealing means readily to facilitate preparation of the capsule for insertion into the applicator. Still another object in this connection is t0 provide an arrangement wherein the sealing means and the aforementioned manually graspable means are adhesively connected to the capsule.

Another object of the invention is to provide readily removable means for retaining the capsule in a fixed position Within the applicator prior to use so as to prevent inadvertent discharge of powdered medicament from the capsule during packaging, shipment, and the like.

An important object of the invention is to provide an applicator which will produce a whistling soun-d when the user inhales air therethrough at a rate sufficient to insure adequate penetration of the powdered medicament into the oral and/or respiratory regions, and which will not produce a whistling sound when the rate of inhalation is insufficient to insure such penetration.

Another object of the invention is to provide a capsule which is adapted to retain a liquid medicament so that vapors bearing such medicament may be drawn into the oral and respiratory regions of the body by inhalation through an applicator containing the capsule. Such liquid medicaments, examples of which have been d given, may be used in the treatment of the oral and respiratory areas, or may be used as correctives for halitosis.

Preferably, in order to increase the quantity of liquid medicament which the capsule is capable of retaining to a maximum, the capsule includes a material which is both an absorbent and an adsorbent, which is an important object of the invention; a typical example lofsuch an absorbent and adsorbent material is diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is particularly desirable since it has a large surface area per unit volume and is thus capable of retaining a large quantity of the liquid medicament.

rJhe foregoing objects and advantages of the invention together with various other'o'bjec'ts and advantages thereof which will become apparent, may be attained through the employment of the exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and vwhich are described in detail hereinafter. Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a nasal and oral applicator which embodies the invention, a closure for the applicator being shown in longitudinal section;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view show- 'ing the applicator with the closure removedand showing the applicator in one of its operating positions;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing 'the applicator in another of its operating positions;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the broken line l-fl of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective viewshowing a medicament-containing capsule of the tinvention and showing a sealing means therefor;

Fig. 6 is a sectional VView taken along ythe broken line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '1 is a 'longitudinal sectionalview of an applicatorfor use with liquid medicaments;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectionalviewof another embodiment ofthe invention in Vone'of its operating positions;

Fig. 9 is a View similar to Fig. 8 but'showing another operating position of the embodiment shown'in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view taken along the brokenline Iii-Ill of Fig. S;

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view en a reduced scale showing the embodimentof Figs. '8 to 10 as packaged for shipment;

Fig. l2 is a longitudinal sectional view'of still Y anotherembodiment of the invention; v Fig. 13 is'a view similar to Fig. 12 butshowing the components of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 12 indiiferent operating positions ;v

Fig. 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary longitudi- 4nal sectional View showing a portion of the embodiment of Fig. 12; and, Figs. 15 and 16 are enlarged, transverse sectional views taken along the broken lines I5-I5 and Iii-IS, respectively, of Figs. 12 and'13, re- 6.5

thereto an element I2 which may serve as either a nose piece or a mouth piece, depending `upon whether medicament is to be applied to the nasal or oral regions. The body iI is provided with an axially extending chamber I5 thereinhaving an-inlet end I6 and an outletf'end I1, 'thech'amber communicating at its outlet end I1 with an axial outlet passage I 8 in the element I2.

Communicating with the inlet end I6 of the chamber I5 is a plurality of inlet passages 2| which are formed in the body I I, each inlet passage comprising an inwardly extending portion 22 which communicates with the inlet end I6 of the chamben anintermediateportion 23 which extends longitudinallyle'f 'the bedywlysubstantially in parallelism with the axis thereof, and an outwardly extending portion 24 which communicates with the exterior of the body at a point intermediate its ends. The inlet passages 2 I are uniformly spaced around the periphery ofthe body, asbest shown in Fig. l of the drawings.

'As shown in Fig, 1 of the drawings, the applicator I0 includes a closure 21 which is adapted to tove'r the outlet end of the applicator, i. e., which is adapted to fit over the element lzmand a portion of the body II. The closure 21 "pref- -`erably ltalles the form of a cap which seats against an annular 'shoulder 28 formed on the body III. The closure 21 includes a peripheral yskirt 29 which sealsI the air inlet passage'sllf when the closure is seated against vthe shoulder 28, and, since the closure fits Iover the element I2, it also closes thel outlet passage I8. Thus, the closure 21 performs the d ual function Iof closing both the 'inlet `'passages 2l and the outlet passage I8, which is an important feature ofthe invention. If desired the closure 21 may be provided with an inwardly extending, axially directed plug 3B which is insertable into the axial outlet passage I8 tol seal same.

The body II of the applicator is-provided 'with an opening 33 which is axially aligned with vthe chamber I 5 and which communicates lwith the inlet end I E thereof, this opening being 'closed by a removable'plug 34which maybe frictionally lconnected to ythe body IVI, or which may be threadedly 'connected thereto as shown. Breferably, the plug 34 is provided with a'knurled Vhead 435 for convenience in inserting and rem'vplug 34. ,The capsule 40 contains apowdered medicament 4I and is provided with a'foraminos Wall 112 which vextends transversely of the axis of the body I I, the medicament being dischargable from the capsule through foramina or perforations 43`in `the walld'Z. The applicator vIII includes air passage means `past the capsule 4U to'provid'e communication between the inletand outlet ends I6 vand I1 `of the chamber T5, the air passage means comprising a plurality of longitudinal 'grooves 4 in the capsule in 'the particular construction illustrated.

The inner 'end 'of the ymember 'f2 is provided with a shoulder 41'whi`ch serves las -a stop with which the'c'apsule 40 collide's upon movement of the capsule axially' of the chamber I'5` from the inletend I6 thereof toward theoutlet end lI"1 thereof, a quantity of the medicament '4I being discharged from' the 'capsule 'through the' forainina 43' when the capsule strikes the shoulder'or stop 41.

Considering the operation ofthe'applic'atr'l, the, patient inserts the element I2 'i'nto his mouth. or vinto one nostril, depending upon 'whetherit'he oral or `nasal `regions "are tdb'e treated; Iniinous wall 42.

fahalationthrough'the device, withv the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, causes the capsule 4U to be propelled through the chamber l5 toward the outlet end I1 thereof under :'the influence of the air streams flowing through .-the device until the capsule strikes the stop 41 as shown in Fig. 3, whereupon a quantity of the medicament 4l is discharged through the foramina 43` into the air stream as a result of the impact. The purpose of the grooves lll! in the capsule is to provide an air passage past the capn sule so that a stream of air may flow through the applicator l0 as the patient inhales, such air stream carrying the discharged medicament into the region to be treated. As soon as the patient stop 41 for the capsule is tapered toward the outlet passage I8 in the element l2, the purpose of v such taper being to permit the air passing through 'the longitudinal grooves 44 to flow freely into the outlet passage I8.

In the particular construction illustrated, the '.capsule 40 comprises a sleeve 50 having closure elements pressed into the respective ends thereof,

one of these closure elements forming the foram- As shown, the foramina d3 are i'small openings through the wall 42, although a piece of wire screen or other foraminous material may be substituted for the wall t2 if desired.

It will be noted that since the capsule ll is provided with foramina 43 at only one end therer of, substantially no air will flow through the cap- '.sule 40 by way of the foramina 43 in the event -that the user of the applicator In exhales thereinto inadvertently. In other words, since there are no air passages through the capsule, exhalation into the ,applicator will not produce a ow .of exhaled air through the capsule. This is an `important feature since it prevents contamination of the powdered medicament and also prevvents the powdered medicament from taking vup moisture from the air exhaled into the applicator. Y' Referring particularly to Figs. 5 and 6 of the ,-drawings, I show the capsule 40 provided with a sealing means, indicated generally by the numeral 5'5, for closing the foramina 43 in the foraminous Vvwall 42 until such time as it is desired to insert the capsule into the chamber l5 in the applicator lprior to use, the purpose of the sealing means being to prevent loss of the medicament 4| from the capsule and to prevent loss of effectiveness of and contamination of the medicament. As best shown in Fig. 6, the foraminous wall 42 is pressed into the sleeve 5U a short distance beyond the corresponding end of the sleeve toprovide a recess 56 with which the foramina 43 communicate. Y. Disposed in the-recess 56 is a sealing element 51 of paper or other suitable material which closes the foramina t3. The sealing element 51 is retained inthe recess 56 by means of an adhesive element iwhich adheres to the sleeve 5i) in the area bounding the recess 56, and which preferably Aadheres to the sleeve in the area bounding the l recess 5G, and which preferably adheres to the sealing element `51 so that the latter will be removed from the recess upon removal of the adhesive element 58. In order to facilitate removal vof the sealing element 51 and the adhesive element 58, I prefer to employ a strip 59 of adhesive material which adheres to the sleeve Ell of the capsule, the strip 59 preferably .passing between -the adhesive element V58 and the sealing'element tll which is particularly adapted for use with liquid medicaments, this applicator comprising a body 6l having a nose piece 62 frictionally connected to one end thereof and having a mouth piece 63 frictionally connected to the opposite end thereof. The body l is provided with an axially y extending chamber Sii which communicates with passages 65 and 66 in the nose piece 62 and the mouth piece S3, respectively, the chamber 64 being of a size to receive a capsule 61 therein. The capsule is provided with foraminous walls 68 through which air may flow into and out of the capsule. It will be noted that if the nose piece E2 is inserted into a nostril of the patient, the air ilows through the passage 66 in the mouth piece 63, through the capsule El, and thence through Athe passage t5 in the nose piece t2, so that the passage 63 serves as an inlet passage and the passage |52 serves as an outlet passage. Conversely, if the mouth piece 53 is inserted into the mouth of the patient, the air ows through the applicator et in the opposite direction so that the passage 55 in the nose piece G2 serves as an inlet passage and the passage 66 in the mouth piece 63 serves as an outlet passage.

The capsule 61 contains an absorbent and adsorbent material Se, such as diatomaceous earth, for example, which is capable of retaining a relatively large quantity of a liquid medicament, such as one of the liquid medicaments given previously, for use in treatment of the oral or nasal regions, or for use as a corrective for halitosis. A material such as diatomaceous earth is to be preferred since it is capable of retaining a large quantity of liquid per unit volume and is sufficiently porous to permit relatively free now of air through the capsule.

When using the applicator 6U, the patient either inserts the nose piece 62 into one nostril, lor inserts the mouth piece 63 into his mouth, depending upon whether the nasal or oral regions are te be treated with the medicament carried by the capsule. Subsequent inhalation through the applicator results in the inhalation of a charge of the medicament, ordinarily in the form of vapors.

When the supply of liquid medicament retained by the material 69 within the capsule 61 is exhausted, it may be replenished readily by immersing the capsule in the liquid until it is saturated therewith. It will be noted that the capsule 61 may be removed from the chamber 64 for recharging by removingeither the nose piece 62 or the mouth piece 63 from the body 6l of the applicator.

Referring now to Figs. 8 to 11 of the drawings, I show an applicator comprising a tubular barrel 8l having a disc 82 pressed'into one end thereof and having a nose piece or mouth piece 83 pressed into the other end thereof, the disc 82 having a central inlet opening 84 and the nose piece or mouth piece having an outlet passage 85. Slidable in the tubular barrel 8| is a capsule 86 which is identical tot the capsule 4l! and which is adapted to contain a powdered medicament.

Considering the operation of the applicator 8D, the user inhales through the device with the element B3 inserted either into the mouth or a nos- 1a nostril 1 of the user.

7 mi to produce a now for air as'inciicated by the arrows 81 in Fig. 9.' Thisflow of air propels the capsule `iio vthrough the tubular barrel 8| until it strikes the element 83 to dislodge 'powdered medicament into the air stream through the discharge openings in the capsule in they -manner previously discussed.

In order tot-insure that the user of the, applicator 80 will inhale through the device with Usufiicient `force to produce optimum penetration 'by the powdered medicament, I prefer'to so 'proportion the 4inlet opening 34, the outlet 'passage 65 'and 'the grooves in the capsule 86 that 'the air flowing through the device will vproduce a Vwhistling sound when the user inhale's 'at the 'proper rate. Thus, if no whistling `sound i's produced, `Ithe-user is advised of the fact that he is inhaling through the applicator 80 alt an insufficient 'rate to insure proper penetration by the powdered medicament, which is an important feature of the invention. As 'an example, I have found-that 'if the inlet opening 34 and the outlet 'passage 85 lare approximately 13g inch in diameter and yif the grooves in the capsule 8S are approximately i'nch wide by will be produced bythe iiow oi air through the applicator unless the rate of inhalation is fsufii- -ciently high to produce lthe desired 'penetration by the powdered medicament.

YIf fdesir'e'd, the foregoing whistling feature may be 'embodied in the vforms discussed previously and in the form shown in Figs. 12 vto 16 of the drawings.

A feature of the embodiment of my invention lshown in Figs. 8 to 11 of the dra-wings is that it I" maybe manufactured cheaply so that the applicator 80'may be used only'once, i. e., maybe -used until the supply-of powdered medicament in the'capsule 8S is exhausted, and 'then discarded. Consequently, the disc t2 and the nose 'piece or mouthpiece 83 may be permanently secured to:

'the tubular barrel 0| if desired.

'held in place hy an adhesive strip 92 which ex i tends lengthwise around the applicator k80`a'nd engages theouter end of the rod 9|. It 'willibe apparent ,that with the adhesive strip '92in`pla'ce,

'the'rod holdsthe capsule in engagement withjthei disc '82 to pr'event movement 'of the capsule vin thelbarrel v8|, Whereby'to prevent dislod'gingof any of the .powdered medicament from thecapsule priorto 'use of thea-ppli'oator'ti. v In order lto prepare the applicator for use, it vis'merely --necessaryto remove'the adhesive strip SZMandthe `'rod9|, which is a` feature of the invention.

Referring--now'to Figs. 12 to i6 ofthe drawings,

`-lishow an applicator |60 comprising a, tubular `barrel |0| having a closed end W2-and having anv open'erid in which a` nose pieoe|03 is-pressed. Telescoped over the nose piece |03 isa mouth piece |04 which may be removed.- as showninFig. 13, topermitinsertion of the-nose :piece- |03 into Otherwise, lif the mouth inchdeep, no Whistling sound vpiece v|03 inserted in Vva 'piece 004 is 'to be use'd, it .may be left in place, as showninFig. 12.

The closed end |02 is lprovided with 'radially offset inlet openings |05 and the nose piece 4| 03 is pro-vided with 'an outlet 'passage |06, 4zaLnoutlet passage |01 registering with the outlet passage -l08' being provided vin the lmouth piece |04. When 'the applicator |00 is not in use, the inlet openings |05 and the outlet passages |06 and |01 may b'e sealed by means of closures I08'fand |09, the lclosure `|08 being 'adapted to telescope over thec'losed 'end '|02 ofthe barrel |01, andthe closure |09 being adapted to telescope over 'the mouth piece |04, or lthe barrel IBI.

sutiable witmnthe tubular 'barrei i ai isa capsule v| I'l having two relatively movableelements |`2 and |I3, the element III-3 being cup-'like and telescoping into a cup-likeportion ofthe element lf2. The element I|2 includes a tubular 'stem I |4 'which provides an air passage'pastthe capsule and 'which extends through "an opening v|`|5 'in the element TH'S. 'The diameter Jof 'the opening I`|5 is-s'lightiy greater than theexternal diameter of the tubular stern ||4 to provide an 'annular dischargeopening for the capsule y"Considering the operation 'of the applicator |00, if the n'ose piece |03 is to befused, 'the'user removes the mouth piece |04, the mouth piece otherwise 'being left in place. With 'the mouth piece |04 'inserted in the mouth, or'wi'thv'theinose nostril, "the user inhales through'the applicator |00 vto produce 1a lflow 'of air therethrough as indicated by theA arrows l| I6. Such ow of air 'propels the 'capsule l l through the 'tubular barrel |0| until'it strikes the nose piece i 03 to dislodge `powdered.tmedicarnerit `from the capsule 'through l'the 'annular 'opening 'surrounding the tubularf'stem H4. -Also,'sincethe elements H2 and |'I3 areslidably iitted together, the impact of the ycapsule against the stop vprovided bythe nose'pie'ce v1|'031tends to ycause-tele- 'scoping movement of thev element 'i I3 finto the elementA |`2 to forcibly v.expel vpowdered medicament from the capsulethroug'h'the'annular 'opening `surrounding,r the tubular stem |14.

-As is the case withthe capsules 40 and employed'in lthe applicators |0 and '80,- the capsule 4is provided with a discharge opening vat-o'ne V'endthereof only to substantially prevent'iiow of air throughthe capsule, whereby toprevent contamination and/o1" rnoistening` of the Vpowdered medicament in thec'apsulein the event Athat/the user inadvertently exhales into applicator |00.

lAlthough I have disclosed various exemplary yembodiments herein for purposes 'of illustration,

it will be understoodthat I do not intendto be limited speciiically thereto since various changes, modication's :and substitutions vmay be vincorpo- Irated in theembodiments-disclosed without necessarily departing from the'spirit of the invention a's 'set'iorth in the appended/claims.

I claim asmy invention:

i. 'In an applicator of the character described,

ther combination A of an'elongated Abody provided with an axially 'extending chamber having inlet and outlet ends,- saldbody being providedwithy an routlet "e'ndh'aving an air -outlet vpassage 4which communicates with'said'outlet end' of 'said' 'chambe'r,1and being` provided withan air inlet passage which communicates 'with the 'exterior -of y'sa-id body at a iirstpointintermediate said outlet end ofsaid body and the :opposite end'thereof'ran'd which communicates `with said inlet end ofsaid chamberat' a'sec'on'dA point intermediate said. first `pointandfsaidzoppositeiendfof said'hody;l a* medicament carrying and dispensing capsule disposed in said chamber and movable from said inlet end of said chamber toward said outlet end thereof under'` the inuence of an air stream flowing through said chamber from said inlet end of said chamber toward said outlet end thereof; means providing an air passage past said capsule to provide communication between said inlet and outlet ends of said chamber; and stop means adjacent said outlet end of said chamber for impingement by said capsule to dislodge medicament from said capsule into the air stream.

2. An applicator as set forth in claim 1 including a closure which is adapted to t over said outlet end of said body and which is provided with means for closing said inlet passage.

3. An applicator as set forth in claim 2 wherein said closure is provided with means for closing said outlet passage.

4. An applicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said inlet passage extends between said rst and second points on said body in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of said body.

5. An applicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said opposite end of said body is provided with an opening which communicates with the inlet end of said chamber and which is of a size to permit insertion of said capsule therethrough into said chamber, said applicator including a removable closure for said opening.

6. An applicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said capsule is provided with a rst end wall ad jacent said outlet end of said chamber and a second end Wall adjacent said inlet end of said chamber, said ilrst end wall having foramina to permit discharge of medicament from said capsule into the air stream when said capsule strikes said stop means.

7. An applicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein Cil said capsule is provided with grooves therein, said grooves forming said means for providing an air passage past said capsule.

8. In an applicator of the character described, the combination of an elongated chamber having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the opposite end; a medicament carrying and dispensing capsule disposed in said chamber and movable from said one end thereof toward said opposite end thereof under the influence of an air stream owing through said chamber from said one end thereof toward said opposite end thereof, said capsule having a first end adjacent said one end of said chamber and having a second end adjacent said opposite end of said chamber, said rst end of said capsule being imperforate and said second end of capsule having a discharge opening therein; means providing an air passage past said capsule; and stop means adjacent said opposite end of said chamber for impingement by said capsule to dislodge medicament through said discharge opening into the air stream.

FRANK E. BROWN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 104,135 Fuerst Apr. 20, 1937 1,818,028 Allen Aug. 11, 1931 2,123,353 Catt July 12, 1938 2,310,681 Derham Feb. 9, 1943 2,340,142 Rauner Jan. 25, 1944 2,469,034 Garris May 3, 1949 2,470,296 Fields May 17, 1949 2,470,297 Fields May 17, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 595,416 Germany Apr. 10, 1934 

